Hi i have been into photography for just over 4 month's now and this is my best pic so far i would really just like some feedback and any suggestion's on how i could have improved this photo or whether it's actually any good in experience person's eye's I used photoshop element's to enhance sharpness and colour in window's, was taken at National History museum London .

Last edited by Charming-Pig on Sat Aug 30, 2008 8:13 am, edited 1 time in total.

Hi i have been into photography for just over 4 month's now and this is my best pic so far i would really just like some feedback and any suggestion's on how i could have improved this photo or whether it's actually any good in experience person's eye's I used photoshop element's to enhance sharpness and colour in window's, was taken at National History museum London .

It certainly is a very interesting shot. Because it's so dark in there and there is a large contrast in brightness produced by the light from the windows and the interior, it could be a candidate for HDR. (see here) This would ensure that all parts of the image are exposed correctly (the ceiling and sides are quite dark at the moment).

In terms of composition I feel that it would have been better if we could see to the bottom of the stairs. It looks a bit too cut-off for me at the moment.

Also, I can't help but wonder what the shot would look like with a tilted perspective. Forum member Photoj has written a very useful entry in his blog about this. I myself am still learning when to use a tilt beneficially (ie not just for the sake of it) so I'm sure Photoj will tell me if I'm on the wrong track.

Thanks for your advice I have actually been looking at doing some HDR photo's. I know i would have been alot happier with the photo without stair's being cut off but again it was compromised because I was limited by the support. As far as the setting's go I can't actually find the original at the moment to see i will have another look later to see, I uploaded it on Flickr a while ago.

It is http://www.flickr.com/photos/ash2097/ my account is very limited for public view's it is all currently set to private i think. Yes it was fairly dark in there plus I have the shakiest hand's you have ever seen lol.

I don't shoot at the Natural History Museum, but rather the British Museum for teaching. The idea is pretty similar - I find an awkward subject that might be hard to frame or technically capture because of the lighting. This isn't the easiest of images to capture. I think everything's been said about your image, Charming-pig. It is missing that something, be it stairs or just a focal point. It's a fair effort though. Thanks for sharing.

Markh - thanks for the mention. Tilt can add a lot of dynamism into an image and is a good tool to have in the armoury. I think your instinct that a tilt here would work is spot on. I would be trying a tilt here to get the height and depth in the frame. Even though without a tripod it can be attempted with an ISO boost and a good handholding technique. How have you found tilting so far?

Markh - thanks for the mention. Tilt can add a lot of dynamism into an image and is a good tool to have in the armoury. I think your instinct that a tilt here would work is spot on. I would be trying a tilt here to get the height and depth in the frame. Even though without a tripod it can be attempted with an ISO boost and a good handholding technique. How have you found tilting so far?

No problem (mention). And pretty well so far I think. I have about 8Gb to get through from my recent holiday and I think there are a few attempts in there somewhere.